How Local Athletes and Coaches are Dealing With Coronavirus Impact

The Pe Ell-Willapa Valley softball team and coach Ken Olson were 45
minutes away from boarding a bus Thursday morning to Montesano for a
3:30 p.m. jamboree when Olson got a call on his cellphone. It was the
Montesano School District saying the contest had been cancelled.

Olson
and his team had no idea of the tidal wave coming less than 24 hours
later as Gov. Jay Inslee mandated the closure of all Washington schools
Friday afternoon as the state braces for the impact of novel
coronavirus.

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 1,500 people
nationwide have tested positive for COVID-19, and another 39 have died,
according to the New York Times. Three hundred and seventy seven of
those cases and 30 of those deaths are in Washington state.

It’s prompted the NBA and NHL to suspend their seasons, along with the cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournaments. MLB is suspending the remainder of its spring training and pushing back opening day two weeks. Centralia College saw its spring sports season come to a halt as the Northwest Athletic Conference suspended all spring sports until April 13.

As the sports world has been flipped upside down the past three days, how are local athletes dealing with these outcomes?

Pe Ell High School

After
Olson broke the news to his team that they wouldn’t be playing in
Montesano Thursday, he told them to take Thursday and Friday off from
practice so everyone could regroup. He sat down and talked with a few of
his players who were noticeably upset about not playing.

The
Titans were also planning to play against Auburn Riverside and Lynden
at Auburn Riverside High School on March 21, but Gov. Inslee’s closures
mean that game will be cancelled, as well. Olson said he’s never seen
anything of this scale before.

“Without question, 25 years of
doing this at the high school level locally, and never had it,” Olson
said. “Not once. This is new territory for all of us.”

Toledo High School

Toledo’s
two-sport standout Kal Schaplow was planning to defend her 2B girls
javelin state title this spring, but is now worried about having her
senior season of track and field postponed or suspended. For her and her
senior teammates, this is the final sport they’ll ever play in high
school, and for some, their final sport ever.

“It would be so
crushing, especially for all these seniors, to have their final year
taken from them,” Schaplow said. “And all the work they’ve put in. It’s
heartbreaking.”

As news is spreading by the hour on social media
of closures across the nation and state, Schaplow and her fellow
athletes at Toledo are becoming more and more worried.

“You
can hear it in the lunch room,” Schaplow said. “ They’re just scared,
and you can tell some people are savoring what they have right now
because they’re worried it’s going to be taken away. You never know when
WIAA is going to say, ‘That’s it.’”

Schaplow was planning to
compete in the now-canceled all-star game Friday night at Centralia
College. She was also invited to the all-state game at King’s High
School on March 21, but that has been postponed. If that also gets
cancelled, Schaplow’s final high school basketball match will have been
at the Lower Columbia all-star game on Tuesday.

Her AAU teammates
in Astoria, Oregon had their state basketball tournaments completely
canceled, as well. She’s hoping, at the very least, spring sports will
resume in April or May in time for postseason. But as of now, it’s
anyone’s guess as to what will happen in the following days.

Just Down The Road

A
half-mile south of Toledo High School on N. Fifth St., Schaplow’s
father, Don Schaplow, a Toledo Middle School P.E. and Washington state
history teacher, is sitting in his classroom, keeping an eye on the
updates.

When Don, who is Toledo High School’s track and field
coach, woke up Thursday morning, the NCAA basketball tournament was
still a go. Hours later, the national and local sports scene changed
dramatically.

“Even a week ago I wouldn’t have seen this coming,”
Don said. “I wonder how many of the closures are in response to other
closures. I was surprised at the local all-star game cancellation, only
because we’re not in that tri-county area with the 250-person gathering
(ban).”

Don was planning to see his daughter hit the hardwood two
more times in the next week and help her defend her state javelin title.
Now, it’s all up in the air. He had hoped some of the reactions
wouldn’t have been made so quickly, and that continuing spring sports in
some form is still on the table.

“As staff members, surprised at
the frequency and how rapidly it’s all occurring,” Don said. “It’s kind
of frustrating. A lot of us staff members are kind of waiting, because a
lot of the decisions that are made are not made by us.”

He said
he hopes the fact that spring sports are all outdoors will be factored
into the decision making and, like Kal, would at least return for
postseason play.

“A lot of kids have worked many, many years of
their lives for their final sports season, and it’s sad if it goes out
in a whimper,” Don said.

Winlock High School

Winlock
senior Bryce Cline, the 2B Central League boys basketball MVP, was
hoping to show off his skills one last time in front of a local crowd
Friday night at the Centralia College all-star game. His all-state
basketball game next weekend was also postponed.

Cline, who is
planning to compete in baseball, track and AAU basketball this spring,
is now wondering if his prep career is coming to a close sooner than
expected. It’s his first year trying out for baseball since he was a
freshman. He was hoping to go out strong.

“Most of the seniors are
worried because it’s their last chance to play one of their favorite
sports, whether it’s baseball, softball or track,” Cline said.

Cline,
who placed fourth last season in the Class 2B high jump with a PR of
6-foot-1, was looking forward to vying for a state title. He also
competes in the 4X400 relay and the 200-meter dash.

“I was looking forward to going back to state this year, but if that gets canceled, it’s not going to happen,” Cline said.

WIAA

Whatever
happens next with regards to the regular season sports schedules in
Lewis County will be at the discretion of the schools, leagues and
districts. WIAA only has decision-making powers over the state
tournaments. As of Friday, the WIAA is still planning to hold spring
sports state championships, which are scheduled for the end of May. They
will be working with the districts to figure out how the state field
will be determined.

Bigger Than Sports

With
an impending postponement or closure of spring sports in the county,
coaches and athletes are preparing for what that will mean for them and
their teams.

One of Olson’s senior softball players texted him
Thursday afternoon asking about the possibility of the entire season
being scrapped. Olson didn’t know how to respond. It took him a while to
finally text her back.

“It was bothering me,” Olson said.” I just
finally told her, ‘I wouldn’t think they’d cancel the whole season, but
who would have ever thought the NBA would shut down?”

For Kal,
she’s coming to the realization of the possibility she may have put on a
Toledo uniform for the last time ever. She understands the concern
about coronavirus, but says it’s still disappointing. She was hoping to
play basketball Friday night with friends from opposing teams that she’s
never played with on the same team. And her track and field career
might be finished, as well.

“You always hear people say, you never
know when your last game could be as a high school athlete,” Kal said.
“I never expected it to be anything like this. I expected it to be an
injury, not like a global crisis. I want to still be coached by my dad
in the javelin. I don’t want to be cut short of having a chance at
another state title. I want to have this experience one last time.”

Olson
understands these cancellations are about keeping players safe, but he
feels for the seniors around the state that are experiencing this. He,
like Kal and Don, is keeping his fingers crossed for a return by
postseason.

“It’s all for the best,” Olson said. “It’s not
about sports, it’s about saving lives. If it happens, I’ll hate it but
I’ll understand it. We’ve got to take care of ourselves and that’s the
bottom line. That’s what’s most important, to take care of everybody
around us, including these student athletes.”